The Arsenal transfer to bring in Dortmund defender Sokratis seems to have been talked about for months now, with no real progression being seen, why is this?
Sky Sports news reporter Darmesh Sheth recently confirmed that the deal will be announced on the 1st of July, which is fast approaching.
Speaking on the Sky Sports Transfer Talk podcast, the reporter said: “That one is likely to happen on 1 July. Dortmund want to announce it at the start of the new tax quarter in Germany.”
Now latest reports in Italy’s TMW have rubbished the rumours of Juventus hijacking the deal, claiming the North London club are closing to sealing a deal and the London club ‘should announce the purchase soon’. The transfer is expected to cost the Gunners around €20 million (£17.5m).
This will be good news for fans who may have been fearing that talks had broken down or the transfer was off for whatever reason.
The Greek center back will be a part of the new Arsenal defence under Emery. Making an impressive 49 appearances for German side Borussia Dortmund this season, the 30-year-old has been vice-captain for several seasons and will definitely bring a wealth of experience and leadership to the team.
It appears that manager Unai Emery is being extremely efficient this transfer window, with the signings of full-back Stephan Lichtsteiner and goalkeeper Bernd Leno already completed; two defensive signings at the start of Emery’s defensive overhaul.
As well as this, the deal for Lucas Torreira looks to be in it’s final stages and the talks for Caglar Soyuncu are looking very positive, with the Turkish player going as far to say “I hope I go to Arsenal… I really want to play in the Premier League.”
More recently, the Argentinian midfielder Ever Banega has been linked with a move to the Emirates that looks to be worth around €12m(£10m).
It’s all go in North London with several deals in the pipeline as well as some already completed, there has been one outgoing player confirmed, with Jack Wilshere announcing he’ll be leaving the club when his contract runs out in July.
Fans have reacted in a variety of way to Wilshere leaving, but the majority are still appreciative of the unsentimental efficiency of Emery.
